My Name Day

In parts of Europe, folks celebrate their name day, which is the feast day of the saint after which they were named. The celebration is similar to that of a birthday. Since "Heath" is not a name on the Catholic calendar, I technically do not have a name day. However, my friend Igor Heinz, the Czech composer and music historian, always called me "Hynek," an old Czech name that he found easier to pronounce than "Heath."

When Igor and I first met, we did not have a common language other than music. Still, we had great conversations. I would play guitar with Igor accompanying me on the violin, and he and I would play country songs together for hours. Although I eventually learned to speak Czech quite proficiently, it didn't change things too much. We didn't need words to understand one another.

Today is the feast of Hynek, and when I got home from work my wife gave me chocolate. The present would have come as an absolute surprise, but my mother-in-law in the Czech Republic sent me a "name day" text yesterday, which, of course, reminded me of the occasion. Since name days are not part of the North Texas culture, I always tend to forget mine, which means I get a little surprise party every year.

Here is a photograph of the late, great Igor Heinz.

Here is a performance of one of his compositions.